SBTRKT, Aloe Blacc, Wild Beasts and The Drums are all in Dublin this weekend for an impressive Heineken Green Spheres line-up of shows, with the latter kicking things off tonight at The Village. All the tickets have been snapped up, but the aftershow at Whelan’s is open to all. Tieranniesaur will be playing live, with…

Next spring will see the release of the new album from The Holy Roman Army but the duo aren’t content to wait until then to treat us to new material. The eight track Lazerians… EP features new material taken from the recording sessions and is available to download at your own choice of price. Give

The providers of one of our favourite debut albums of the year, Grouplove follow it – and a couple of splendid festival appearances over the summer – with a Dublin headliner early next year. The Californians play The Academy on February 22nd, with tickets priced €16.50 and on sale from this Friday.…

When Adam Ant penned the line ‘ridicule is nothing to be scared of’, the chances of many people pouring such scorn on his endeavours were slim. In the space of two short years he had gone from being a sleazy, post-punk rocker to the status of the biggest pop star in the UK by a…

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the State Midnight Mass and, following last year’s gig featuring Ham Sandwich, We Cut Corners, James Vincent McMorrow, We Are Losers and Sleep Thieves, we’re back at The Mercantile for another night of fine music. So far the bill this year features State favourites little xs for eyes and Come…

Justice bring the retro progressive rock sounds of their Audio, Video, Disco… album to the Marquee in Cork next summer. June 7th is the date, with tickets going on sale next Friday 2nd December priced €35.

Last week we told you about the forthcoming Meteor Choice Music Prize show at the Button Factory featuring Lisa Hannigan and James Vincent McMorrow. Tickets for the gig on December 8th have only available through various Meteor competitions so far, but now we have a pair to give away to one State reader. To enter…

Two o’clock today will see the release of a new mixtape from Tinie Tempah, his fourth so far. Announced on Twitter (where else?), the first track from Happy Birthday… will feature two artists. We suggest you keep an eye on his website for full details.

Given the swift turnover of new artists in today’s Irish music scene – as elsewhere – taking your time over a debut album could be seen as a risky strategy. little xs for eyes (no caps), however, have had good reason. Founding duo Bennie Reilly and Davey Moor have guided the band through changes of…

PosterFish Promotions are staging a benefit gig for the Occupy Dame Street protest on Saturday. The show at Cassidy’s Bar on Westmoreland Street will feature Executive Steve (Tribe, Ancient Ways, Radio na Life), BadManDeego (Jungle Boogie), Rob Dubculture (Dubculture Cork), Captain Moonlight and Temper-Mental MissElayneous.
Doors are at 8pm. Admission is €5 before 10pm, €8…

This Saturday will see the now annual visit from Electric Six to Dublin’s Academy, with the band touring their eight album Heartbeats & Brainwaves…. Tickets are €20 from the usual outlets, but we have a pair to giveaway to one State reader. Just mail us at giveaway@state.ie by 2pm on Friday but in the

We really like the sound of this one. Elvis Costello‘s Revolver Tour has been attracting rave reviews in the US, described by the LA Times as “the kind of uniquely invigorating experience that warrants a buzzword all of its own; inspiring”. Now he’s bringing it to Europe and the O2 in Dublin on 9th May…

The recent MTV Awards in Belfast may have featured very little actual music from the city, but a new video from channel goes some way to redress the balance. Concentrating on the excellent work of the Oh Yeah Centre, it features a selection of the city’s most impressive artists – including the Wonder Villains, Katie…

An announcement on Bruce Springsteen’s website has revealed that the singer is set to return to action next year. “A lot of you have been hearing that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be on tour in 2012,” reads the statement. “That is absolutely correct. The European dates run from the middle of…